 |
| The New Age of Social Media Diplomacy |
Who would have thought that social media would have the impact that it does today...In an age where information is spread through new outlets of technology, social media has now become not only a lens into other worlds, but has also acted as a tool of influence for public diplomacy. Social media has become the new mechanism in which the three types of public diplomacy: monologue, dialogue, and collaboration have come to fruition on an individual and global scale.
Monologues are meant to be a one-way form of communication between a speaker and an audience. They can be used to convey information or inspire an audience. Social media is an outlet where monologues can be spread for all those to see. YouTube has helped spread these powerful monologues across borders, not only can the State of the Union address be viewed in the United States, but those interested in American domestic politics can view it from around the world. Where television can spread news, ideas, and culture, sites such as YouTube achieve the same type of exchange.
Monologues are not limited to the speeches of those in powerful leadership roles, but can emphasize an individual voice in civil society. Blogging allows for the quick dissemination of opinions to a public audience. Blogs are used by governments, embassies, cultural institutions, advocacy organizations and more to convey opinions, raise issues, or spread ideas. Social media has become a tool for diplomacy.
Blogging and YouTube have also been used as a realm for dialogue where a post/video that starts off as a one-way form of communication can involve into a discussion of opinions. Both of these sites allow for users to post their comments or feedback on what they have seen. Blogs can enter into community blogs where posts can be reviewed by community members.
Social media can inspire advocacy at the grassroots level and thus fueling collaboration between individuals on an online realm as well as creating a sense of community. For example, during Obama's presidential campaign, the youth vote was considered unreliable. However, through social media, which is most commonly used by young voters, Obama was able to establish a grass roots campaign that spread his campaign ideas through platforms such as twitter and Facebook. Linux and wikipedia both open source operating platforms have created a community of collaboration where the users work toward a common goal. Social media used in such a way creates a community of collaboration.
Though social media can be used to promote the three types of public diplomacy, it is still a tool to aid it and should not replace traditional types of face-to-face diplomacy. Social media has its benefits for the realm of public diplomacy, but also its negatives. Business can use social media to control and influence the masses. In the case of the SOPA/PIPA campaign, sites such as Google and Facebook used social media to garner support among the public to protect their first amendment rights, but as similar legislation passed that did not affect the profits of their business there was no further campaigning against this. Social media though an effective tool to diffuse ideology and culture can also be used to promote propaganda or dangerous ideology such as that of al-Qaida or other terrorist organizations. It is important to remember that social media, though a powerful tool can be wielded by both sides of public diplomacy and propaganda.
Monologues are meant to be a one-way form of communication between a speaker and an audience. They can be used to convey information or inspire an audience. Social media is an outlet where monologues can be spread for all those to see. YouTube has helped spread these powerful monologues across borders, not only can the State of the Union address be viewed in the United States, but those interested in American domestic politics can view it from around the world. Where television can spread news, ideas, and culture, sites such as YouTube achieve the same type of exchange.
Monologues are not limited to the speeches of those in powerful leadership roles, but can emphasize an individual voice in civil society. Blogging allows for the quick dissemination of opinions to a public audience. Blogs are used by governments, embassies, cultural institutions, advocacy organizations and more to convey opinions, raise issues, or spread ideas. Social media has become a tool for diplomacy.
Blogging and YouTube have also been used as a realm for dialogue where a post/video that starts off as a one-way form of communication can involve into a discussion of opinions. Both of these sites allow for users to post their comments or feedback on what they have seen. Blogs can enter into community blogs where posts can be reviewed by community members.
Social media can inspire advocacy at the grassroots level and thus fueling collaboration between individuals on an online realm as well as creating a sense of community. For example, during Obama's presidential campaign, the youth vote was considered unreliable. However, through social media, which is most commonly used by young voters, Obama was able to establish a grass roots campaign that spread his campaign ideas through platforms such as twitter and Facebook. Linux and wikipedia both open source operating platforms have created a community of collaboration where the users work toward a common goal. Social media used in such a way creates a community of collaboration.
Though social media can be used to promote the three types of public diplomacy, it is still a tool to aid it and should not replace traditional types of face-to-face diplomacy. Social media has its benefits for the realm of public diplomacy, but also its negatives. Business can use social media to control and influence the masses. In the case of the SOPA/PIPA campaign, sites such as Google and Facebook used social media to garner support among the public to protect their first amendment rights, but as similar legislation passed that did not affect the profits of their business there was no further campaigning against this. Social media though an effective tool to diffuse ideology and culture can also be used to promote propaganda or dangerous ideology such as that of al-Qaida or other terrorist organizations. It is important to remember that social media, though a powerful tool can be wielded by both sides of public diplomacy and propaganda.
I think you raise an important question (that others in this class have talked about too) - how collaborative social media platforms might be unduly distorted or impacted by the "power" or "resources" of a participant. If the "USA" launches a collaborative initiative or project - how does that impact the leadership of the project, especially when "leadership" is something that's supposed to be shared or diffuse?
ReplyDelete